Manchester United are now “confident” of signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliott Anderson on a cut-price deal, according to reports.
The Red Devils spent more than £200m on new signings in the summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Matheus Cunha, Brian Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesco, Senne Lamence and Diego Leon.
Manchester United prioritized improving their attack last season, with only four Premier League teams scoring fewer goals than Ruben Amorim’s side.
Despite investments in Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesco, many Man United fans and former players believed it was a major oversight by the club not to sign a new midfielder.
They approached Brighton’s Carlos Baleva, Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher and other midfielders, but ultimately decided not to sign any players.
Anderson, who has impressed for Nottingham Forest and England this season, has emerged at the top of Manchester United’s list of players looking to sign at least one midfielder over the next two transfer windows.
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And now journalist Mark Blass has told Catch Offside that the Red Devils are “increasingly confident” they can sign Anderson from Nottingham Forest for significantly less than the £100m mooted in reports.
The Blues have heard that a £70m transfer fee “could be realistic”, but Man United are hoping to at least start talks for less than that, sources have said.
A source told Bruce: “Financially, the situation is complicated.
“Anderson is under contract at Forest until 2029, giving him significant leverage at the club. Inside the club, we believe Anderson could be worth more than £100m if his development continues.”
“Manchester United are nevertheless confident that £60m is enough to lure Forest into negotiations.”
Another source said: “Anderson is open to a move to Old Trafford. He is attracted by the chance to play on the biggest stage and join one of the big six.”
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Speaking about Manchester United’s plans for the January transfer window, Fabrizio Romano recently said on his YouTube channel: “Ruben Amorim has given clear instructions to Manchester United ahead of the January transfer window, both publicly and privately. Privately, conversations have begun between Amorim, the board and Man United’s management ahead of the January transfer window.”
“I talked about midfielders. I said Man United are looking for that position. But in general terms, Amorim and the Man United management are talking about the January period, the opportunities and what to do with the players who want to play more, Kobi Mainu and Joshua Zirkzee.”
“For Zirkzee, in recent weeks he has also had call-ups from West Ham and then Roma. So this will be an opportunity for several clubs and we have to see if Manchester United want to let him go and what they want to do.”
Romano added: “But Amorim has also sent a clear message when speaking publicly about January. First of all, he says the window is open and they could do something. So he doesn’t close the door to the opportunity to bring in new players, which is already the latest for Man United. But he also says: ‘I don’t want short-term players.’
“Amorim doesn’t just bring players in for a few months. Players only join Man United if they believe they can be a long-term option. They don’t want to add players just for the numbers. They also have one competition this season and the FA Cup coming up, so they want to focus on the Premier League.”
“They already have some players, so if someone comes in in January it will be a player that Man United can rely on not just now but in the future.”
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